Tent City After Dark announces performers

Carolina Story, Hilary & Kate taking the stage Oct. 5

Nashville recording artist Carolina Story and San Luis Obispo-based Hilary & Kate will be the featured bands at the annual Tent City After Dark on Friday, Oct. 5 from 4:30 to 10 p.m.

The fundraiser for Colony Days will be bigger and better than ever with more bands, food trucks, local wine and beer and a five-pound burger eating contest sponsored by Sylvester’s Burgers. The event will happen inside historic Tent City, which will be set up in Sunken Gardens along El Camino Real.

“Tent City After Dark is an amazing combination of good music and an incredible setting,” Colony Days chairwoman Karen McNamara said. “Once the sun sets, the tents and hanging lanterns glow as they did in the original Tent City.”

The event was historically held the Saturday evening of the Colony Days celebration for event goers to experience historic Tent City once the sun went down. The event will begin at 4:30 p.m. with food trucks and beer and wine and continue well into the night. The main music event will begin at 6 p.m., although there will be a amateur musicians and other events happening beforehand.

“It is truly something that can only be experienced at our event,” McNamara said. “There will be lots of food and drink vendors, plenty of room to dance to a high quality concert and a moderate late summer evening. We believe the move to Friday night will bring a stellar kick off of the celebration of our community.”

This year, Tent City After Dark will kickoff the Colony Days weekend giving a preview of the tents along with live folk and country music with the backdrop of the illuminated historic city hall. Advance tickets are $35 each and include one beverage. Tickets purchased at the event are $40 each. VIP sponsorship tables of eight are $500 and include one drink per person, a platter of tacos for the table and personal table service for the entire evening. Tickets go on sale Saturday, Sept. 1 at 9 a.m. at ColonyDays.org.

“I can’t wait to see this event grow into one of our community’s premiere evenings of entertainment,” Tent City After Dark committee member Candice Hubbard said. “Tent City After Dark will bring our community together to celebrate the history of Atascadero in a relaxed and fun atmosphere.”

For those attending the home football game that night, admission after 8 p.m. will be $10 per person with a hand stamp from the football game.

Carolina Story

Carolina Story, made up of Ben and Emily Roberts, writes and performs songs, knowing that there are enough love songs on earth. They evoke the blue collar man and woman, because that’s exactly who they are. It was music that drew them together at Visible Music College, a progressive arts college, on a fateful, summer day in late-August 2007, they met outside the dorms under the hot Memphis sun as Ben helped Emily move a couch into her room. While drawn to each other’s talent, they came to realize the overlapping nature of their hearts. It was in Western North Carolina, on a week-long fall camping trip, where the band’s story really begins. They were both preoccupied by separate projects at the time with Emily focusing on her budding career as a solo singer/songwriter and Ben being in another band. It was on that trip camping along the Davidson and French Broad rivers that the light bulb went off. They decided to ditch their current endeavors upon returning to Memphis and focus on writing and performing together. Carolina Story was born beside the afterglow of a campfire along the banks of those rivers with the name embodying the inception of their journey together. They were married in June 2009 and embarked on their first tour right after their honeymoon with Ben finishing his last semester of school online from the road.

Hilary & Kate

Hilary & Kate is a duo made up of Hilary Watson and Kate Feldtkeller. As their two voices, guitar, and violin intertwine, they conjure up echoes of time-honored musical traditions rooted in folk, bluegrass, and gospel while putting a fresh spin on these sounds as only young artists can.

In early 2012, Hilary and Kate began playing and recording together; Hilary was already seasoned from years of traveling and performing both solo acoustic and with her full band, but Kate brought something new and unique with her voice and violin that instantly clicked. The year ended up being one of rich blessing for Hilary and Kate, with extensive tours around the United States and Europe.

Food vendors sought

The Atascadero Colony Days Committee is seeking vendors, particularly food vendors, for Tent City After Dark on Friday, Oct. 5 from 4:30 to 10 p.m. and Colony Days festival on Saturday, Oct. 6 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

While there is a fee for vendors at Saturday’s event, there is no fee for food vendors on Friday night. To register as a vendor for this year’s Colony Days event, download a form at ColonyDays.org or pick one up at the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce office.